Hero homeless man who used his last £20 to buy woman petrol vows to help others after strangers raised £260,000 to thank him

A HOMELESS veteran has vowed to use his newfound wealth to help others after strangers raised £280,000 to thank him for using his last £20 to buy a stranded woman petrol.

Selfless Johnny Bobbitt, 34, walked two miles to buy Kate McLure, 27, a can of fuel after her car ran out on an interstate in Philadelphia.

The terrified Ms McClure phoned her boyfriend Mark D'Amico in fear as she watched the ex-Marine approach her car.

But she needn't have worried, as it quickly became apparent that Mr Bobbitt just wanted to help, telling her the area was unsafe and advising her to remain in her car with the doors locked while he bought her petrol.

Ms McClure had no money on her to repay Mr Bobbitt, but later set up a page to help him pay for accommodation over winter - raising over £280,000 in the process.

The pair were reunited on TV's Good Morning America, where selfless Bobbitt promised to use the money to help others.

"That’s how I got the money to start with, from other people," he said. "[I have to] return the favour. I can’t constantly take and not give back."

"This money was given to help me. Why not help other people in similar situations or people that are actively helping other people in different situations?

"Everybody out there is facing some kind of struggle, so if I can touch their life, the way mine was touched, [it’d be] an amazing feeling."

So far over £282,236 ($376,768) worth of donations have flooded in for the hero, who worked as a paramedic before ending up on the streets.

Writing on the campaign page, Ms McClure said: "I never ran out of gas before, and my heart was beating out of my chest.

"I pulled over as far as I could, and got out of the car to head to the nearest gas station.

"That’s when I met Johnny. Johnny sits on the side of the road every day, holding a sign. He saw me pull over and knew something was wrong.

"He told me to get back in the car and lock the doors. A few minutes later, he comes back with a red gas can. Using his last 20 dollars to make sure I could get home safe."

Since their first meeting, Ms McClure returned to visit Mr Bobbitt several times, taking him warm clothing, food and water.

Each time, she has been surprised by his persistent generosity, as he would share the gifts with other homeless people.

She said: "One day I stopped to see him and had a few things in a bag to give him, one of which was a box of cereal bars so he could have something that he could carry around and eat.

“He was very appreciative as usual and the first thing he said was 'do you want one?'.

"Another time I dropped off 2 gift cards and a case of water ... the first words that came out of his mouth were ‘I can’t wait to show the guys’ (there are two others he hangs out with and they all take care of each other)."

Ms McClure hopes to use the money raised to set Mr Bobbitt up with a car and somewhere to live, as she says he is keen to get a job.

His dream is to rent a place in New Jersey and work at the Amazon warehouse.

She added: "[I] Truly believe that all Johnny needs is one little break. Hopefully with your help I can be the one to give it to him."